Before a Midnight Meeting
by hobbesthebrainslug
Summary: Before Hinata and Naruto are happy together, before the two go through so many battles to preserve thier love, Hinata was a wreck of a person, her feelings for Naruto barely keeping her alive. This is the prequel to After a Midnight Meeting.
1. Somber Day

As the sun rose and shined through Hinata's window, it created a small square of light which crept across the floor, up her bed, and, as morning sunlight is wont to do, onto Hinata's face.

She stirred gently from her sleep. Shielding her eyes and blinking to adjust them to the light. She looked at her alarm clock, she was late! Her clock had not gone off yet!

Stupid alarm clock.

She swung herself out of bed and slipped out of her pajamas. She slipped on a sports bra and changed into a fresh pair of panties. Then dressed in her general attire. Dark shorts and a light hoodie coat, blue sandals and her forehead protector, which she wore around her neck.

She descended the stairs to have some breakfast and shower before going to train with Shino and Kiba. She poured herself some cereal and ate in silence. Watching about the house for her father, or Neji. Neither of which were around. Probably out training together.

Hinata sighed.

She finished up her cereal and had a shower. Heading out of the house to go train with the rest of team 8.

She arrived at her teams designated training area soon after leaving her house. Kiba and Akamaru were training together while Shino was sitting very still, as if he was meditating. His beetle's swarmed outward from his body.

Kurenai was watching the two training and congratulating them, she noticed Hinata coming and smiled at her.

"You're late" Said Kurenai.

"I know, I'm sorry…My alarm clock didn't go off this morning" Hinata said, she looked at the ground in a bit of shame.

"That's quite all right Hinata" Kurenai patted Hinata's head "as long as you're ready for today's training"

Hinata nodded.

"all right then" Kurenai, unexpectedly swung a Kunai at Hinata's shoulder. Hinata quickly reacted, blocking the blow with her forearm…

Perhaps a half hour later, Hinata was panting hard. Kurenai seemed to be okay, being a Jounin she had much greater stamina than Hinata.

"Are you okay Hinata? You seem kinda out of it" said Kurenai.

"no, I'm fine, but we've been at it for a while" Hinata panted. She sat down on a rock to take a rest from her training.

"are you sure?" Kurenai said, reaching around Hinata and stroking her back. "something's been troubling you for a while now, I've noticed"

Hinata looked at the ground, thinking of Naruto.

"no, it's nothing" she said.

All right then, have some lunch and come on back and we'll finish up.

Hinata picked up her bagged lunch and went off to eat alone in the forest. She couldn't help but wonder to herself. Did Kurenai-sensei know? Did Kurenai really want to help? Or was she just curious.

She looked at her rice ball and took a melancholy bite from it.

She heard the tree branch shake as something landed on it. She turned her head and looked up at the branch and saw two legs clad in orange, hanging over the branch from behind.

Oh no! It was Naruto. Hinata gasped, something Naruto could hear. He leaned over the edge of the branch and saw her.

"Hey, Hinata? What are you doing here?" he said.

"Oh, Naruto, I was eating my lunch" she said and smiled nervously.

"well, mind if I come down and join you?" he said, a big grin spread across his face.

"no! not at all!" she blushed and he jumped down next to her, nesting himself in a place where the roots of the tree made sort of a natural seat.

"what did you pack for lunch?" said Naruto.

"oh, just some crab cakes and rice" said Hinata, looking away from him.

"wow, crab cakes? Those sound tasty!" said Naruto, licking his lips.

"would you like to try one?" said Hinata.

"sure!" Naruto said. Hinata smiled as she gingerly handed the crab cake to Naruto, who engulfed the thing with his mouth. Naruto took several seconds to sample it before swallowing.

"Wow Hinata! Those are delicious! Where do you get them?" asked Naruto.

"well, my father buys the crab and I make them" Hinata smiled and blushed.

"you made these? They're so tasty!" said Naruto.

"thank you" Hinata giggled a little and blushed, placing her finger up to her mouth to keep her lips from quivering.

"is something the matter?" asked Naruto.

"no, nothing at all" Hinata wanted to spill everything to Naruto right now, or perhaps to throw herself onto him and kiss him passionately. To hold him and let him know how she truly felt.

But she didn't, she only ate her lunch in silence.

Naruto finished first, then got up and waved goodbye to her "nice having lunch with you Hinata, see you later" Naruto turned around to leave, but turned back one more time "oh, and thanks for the crab cake" he smiled and leapt off, across the tree branches.

Hinata felt a little tear run down her cheek and drop off her chin, it landed on her rice ball and soaked down into it.

Hinata returned to Kurenai after finishing off her lunch, but she found that Kurenai was gone, she had left a note for Hinata.

_Hinata, we decided to take the day off, see you tomorrow!_

Hinata sighed, hoping that her training might have been able to take her mind off Naruto, but then again, nothing was really able to do that anymore.

Hinata walked home in melancholy silence.

Hinata walked up to her room. Laying on the bed and opening the bedside table. Getting out a book with Naruto's picture taped to the front of it. She opened it and took out a red pen that was bound in a loop at the front of the diary.

She wrote:

_Dear Diary:_

_I think Kurenai knows something is up with me, whether she knows it's about Naruto I don't know. Sometimes I wish she did and would say something rather than just ask me what's wrong. Same with everyone else._

_I had the chance to tell Naruto how I felt too, but I couldn't bring myself to it. Why is this happening to me?_

_Am I just like Neji said? Will I always be so weak that I can never even bring myself to tell Naruto or anyone else how I feel? Will it be this way forever?_

Hinata closed the book and held it tightly against her body. As she curled up on her bed with the diary, she began to weep softly until she fell asleep.

_It's happened to me too. _


	2. Hinata's Family

Hinata's family

"Hinata, Come make breakfast!" called Hinata's father, Hiashi, from downstairs.

Hinata stirred, her vision blurry. Her hands still gripped the journal that she kept about Naruto. She got up, not even bothering to change out of her soiled clothes from the previous day.

Groggy, Hinata descended the stairs and headed to the kitchen. She started to cook up rice cakes for breakfast. But she was still very tired and did not have her ninja-like grace. She stumbled as she took the extra rice to put it away in the pantry. Hinata twisted her ankle and dropped the barrel in which the rice was kept.

She gasped and gripped her hurt ankle, trying to keep her father or another family member from hearing.

"what's this?" Hinata's father walked in to the kitchen.

"I-I…"Hinata couldn't speak. Her father grabbed her wrist and lifted her up off the ground. Hiashi looked into Hinata's eyes, and slapped her hard. He let her go and she fell to the ground.

"clean this up" he turned away and continued to wherever he was going. Hinata hobbled over to the dustpan and broom and cleaned up the dirty rice, throwing it away after she was finished.

Hiashi returned after a short time and looked at Hinata.

"Looks like you're finished cleaning, now get back to cooking" he said.

"I can't father, I need to meet Kurenai-sensei and my team for training today." Hinata replied. Hiashi laughed.

"You think your team needs you at all? You're useless, if anything your team would benefit from your absence"

"That's not true!" Hinata shouted, Hiashi stepped back a tiny bit "I know my teammates care about me, they know I'm essential to the team. Even if I'm not as skilled as them" Hinata blushed, not expecting herself to stand up to her father like that.

Hiashi walked over to her, and raised a hand to slap her. Just as he was beginning, he stopped himself and walked back to where he came from.

Hinata watched Hiashi until she knew he was gone. Then looked at the clock on the oven.

Oh no! she realized she was late to training!

She helped herself up and walked as best she could to the training ground. Meeting not with Kurenai, Shino or Kiba…but with Neji.

"it seems your teammates have realized that you're useless, Hinata" said Neji, smirking.

Hinata felt like crying, after what happened yesterday and today, she couldn't hold herself in.

"Stop it Neji! You and father stop it!" Hinata shrieked "why are you doing this to someone of your own flesh and blood? Are you two so unable to feel that you've forgotten who your family really is?"

Neji gritted his teeth "you little…cunt" he said through his teeth. He charged at Hinata, Hinata could only raise her arms to defend herself before she was battered by a series of strikes from Neji.

Soon, her legs gave out under her and she fell to the ground. She coughed up a little blood as Neji stood above her. She couldn't move, she was completely at the mercy of her brother.

"such a nobody, if you just disappeared I would not be surprised" Neji smirked and walked away, toward the Hyuuga estate.

Hinata lay paralyzed for what seemed to be hours, but in reality it was only around ten minutes. She heard someone call to her.

"Hinata?…Hinata!" It was Kiba's voice. He ran to her side and asked her is she was alright. All she could do was grunt, as Neji had paralyzed her vocal chords. Kiba picked up Hinata and cradled her in his arms, sobbing.

"Hinata, who did this to you?" he said, as Akamaru whimpered and licked Hinata's face. Only a few minutes later Kurenai and Shino walked onto the scene, rushing in once they saw Hinata.

Kurenai used her limited medical Jutsu to relieve Hinata of her paralysis. She asked who did this to Hinata, and Hinata could only hold herself to Kurenai and cry, terrified of what Neji would do if he found out Hinata had told anyone.

_TT_


End file.
